BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Data obtained by 7 News shows that the Buffalo Police Department issued less than 35 speeding tickets in October.
The department disbanded its dedicated traffic unit in December 2020. Joseph Gramaglia, former Buffalo Police Commissioner, said the unit was disbanded due to a shift in policing policies around the country and the pandemic.
Police union leaders said the department lacks sufficient resources for comprehensive traffic enforcement.
"We don't have a lot of the resources for traffic enforcement," Buffalo Police Union President John Davidson said.
In 2018, under a directive to crack down on dangerous driving, officers wrote 605 speeding tickets. In 2019, that number more than tripled to 1,911. In 2020, it climbed again to 2,546 speeding tickets, even with pandemic-related traffic slowdowns starting in April.
But in December 2020, Buffalo Police disbanded its dedicated traffic unit and reassigned about 50 officers to the city's five patrol districts.
"If you look back, a lot of it had to do with manpower needs," former Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo said. "With any decision like that, there is an aftereffect."
Through an open records request, 7 News learned many officers don't have the training to use radar technology. Davidson said pulling patrol officers to write tickets would mean letting 911 calls stack up.
"Current patrol officers have such a workload of answering calls," Davidson said. "To also do traffic enforcement on top of that, there just isn't enough time in the shift."
WATCH: 'We don't have a lot of resources': Data shows dramatic drop in BPD speeding tickets
The reduced enforcement comes as Buffalo residents are asking for more traffic safety measures. A recent survey conducted by a foot patrol unit asked thousands of residents what they want officers to focus on, and traffic and speeding ranked near the top.
The city has tried other approaches to address speeding.
Speed cameras have been activated in school zones, but were shut down in 2021 after public opposition.
Some neighborhoods have speed bumps, but drivers continue speeding on high-traffic corridors like Routes 33 and 198, where speed bumps aren't feasible.
"You can't take officers out of service and let calls stack up for traffic enforcement purposes," Rinaldo said.
Davidson stressed the need for hiring new officers, considering the upcoming academy class only has 12 cadets, some of whom he said will not graduate.
Rinaldo explained that the city should consider new technology to enforce speed.
7 News reached out to Mayor-Elect Sean Ryan's team for comment and has not received a response.
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